Allow me, as I begin, to thank Cameroon for steering the Third Committee last session and to congratulate you, Mr. Chairman, on assuming the chairmanship for this session. I am confident that your able stewardship will guide our deliberations to a successful conclusion.

Indonesia aligns with the statement made by the representative of Malaysia on behalf of ASEAN as well as the statement of the Group of 77 and China delivered by the representative of Argentina.

In view of the fact that social development is a people-oriented process, we appreciate the importance of this debate and therefore express our appreciation to the Secretary-General for the set of reports prepared under this agenda item.

Mr. Chairman,

Despite efforts in the last two years, global economic recovery remains fragile and uneven. This demands renewed emphasis on the social dimension of development.

Secretary General’s report is unsparing in its frankness. We are told that global economic growth began to slow again in mid-2010 as fiscal stimuli ran out. A shifting policy orientation towards austerity in developed countries is hurting global economic growth and pushing more people into poverty. The global unemployment rate in 2010 has reached 6.2 percent. At the current speed of recovery, the report predicts that it will take four to five years to return to pre-crisis levels of global employment.

In order to arrest the deterioration and put the global economy back on the path to achieve the MDGs in the remaining years before 2015, the Secretary-General’s report underlines the need for sustained economic growth and job-creation. Meanwhile, effective social protection systems must become an integral part of the policy mix.

Mr. Chairman,

Indonesia could associate with findings of the Secretary-General including his proposals to address the situation. Indonesia recognizes that without vibrant economy, social development becomes an almost impossible task. It is also Indonesia’s view that it is up to each country to determine their response according to their national circumstance and capacity.

Before and during the crisis, Indonesia was able to sustain around 6 percent economic growth. This allowed the Government of Indonesia to continue pursues social development goals. However expectations and projections had to be scaled back to match the grim reality of a global economy losing its vigor.

To protect the economic and social gains that had been achieved, our policy of “development for all” combines financial, monetary and fiscal policies in order. These key policies are also supported by a robust political, legal and democratic environment in Indonesia.

This year, the government launched the Master Plan for the Acceleration and Expansion of Indonesia Economic Growth (MP3EI). By pushing and promoting the growth of economic centers around many parts of Indonesia, this strategy aims to address the disparities and economic growth imbalance that remains as one of the key impediments for Indonesia to achieve the goals set upon in the Copenhagen Declaration and the MDGs.

We also continue to implement the four-pronged national economic strategy of: “pro-growth”, which enables business and investment activity on a fairly wide scale; “pro-jobs”, which strives towards decent productive employment; “pro-poor”, which emphasizes the need to combat and overcome poverty; and, finally, “pro-environment”, in keeping with the need for sustainable development.

Mr. Chairman,

Social investments will continue to be part of Indonesia’s development policies.

Government has implemented financial measures to control the inflation and stabilize the prices of basic food products to protect poor households. To improve food security, budget allocation for agriculture sector is continued to increase. It provides assistance for farmers, not only to improve their productivity but also quality of their food products.

With the increasing economic insecurity and its direct impact to the poorest and most vulnerable among us: children, women, youth, older person and the disabled, development policies have included the empowerment of family unit. Family policies have been done through various approaches that include raising the quality of life of children, teenagers and elderly through access to information, education and counseling. To empower vulnerable households or family, government promotes their access to information and many forms of economic resources.

Mr. Chairman,

The government is working to create more job opportunities especially for the youth. Government will also continue to allocate 20% of its budget for education.

Social assistance and protection programs, ranging from conditional cash transfer programs to free health insurance for the poor are being provided. Health interventions targeting mothers; children under-five; service improvements for reproductive health, particularly in remote parts of Indonesia, remain a priority.

In line with the spirit of the Madrid Political Declaration and International Plan of Action on Ageing, laws, regulations and policies to promote and protect the human rights of older persons is being adopted. The budgetary plan at national and sub national level also directed to provide sufficient portion for ageing sectors.

As for the disabled, the Indonesian Parliament is now working to ratify Convention on the Rights of Person with Disabilities.

Before concluding, Mr. Chairman, let me reiterate that national efforts to address the three major pillars of social development will benefit further from of international cooperation. Beside UN and other traditional partners we also recognize the role of the private sector in shaping the world economy. In this regard, we also call for continued partnerships with all stakeholders including the private sector in dealing with the social consequences of global economic crises.

I thank you.

Permanent Mission of the Republic of Indonesia to the United Nations, New York
325 East 38th Street, New York, NY, 10016, USA
Tel: 1.212.972.8333, Fax: 1.212.972.9780 - www.indonesiamission-ny.org